Outsiders
by Capricia
Summary: This is a short piece in Luna's point of view describing her thoughts on Harry Potter on the train ride before OoTP. story has been revised


**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own Luna Lovegood or any other Harry Potter character; they're the property of J.K. Rowling and Warner's Bros. **

Outsiders

By: Capricia

Loony Lovegood, that's what they call me. Everyone in Ravenclaw, hell everyone at _Hogwarts _thinks I'm utterly and completely mad. I suppose they have a good reason to, I know I don't endear people to me when I go around talking to walls or reading Daddy's magazine upside down. I know when I talk of Nargles, Heliopaths, and Ministry conspiracies people mock me behind my back even if they are kind enough to smile and nod to my face. Its not that I'm unobservant or unaware of how people think of me it's just that I really just prefer not to think on it. I'm not really mad or oblivious you know, just eccentric. Besides sometimes it's easier to pretend then live in a world full of prejudice and war.

I know that there are people who are dieing out there, and that more will probably die before the war is over. I know that we're in for some rough times before the Ministry and Dumbledore are capable of stopping the Dark Lord. I remember the story Harry Potter told last year that Voldemort had finally come back. I know that there are people that don't believe Harry Potter's story about what happened to Cedric Diggory. They call _him _mad and an attention seeker or a delinquent. They say he and Dumbledore are liars and that they' re conspiring to panic the Wizarding World which is as much rubbish as everything else that's written in the _Daily Prophet_. I honestly can't understand why so many people turn their noses up at the _Quibbler_, and yet they'll listen to the likes of Rita Skeeter as if she had the ear of Merlin himself. Honestly and the call me Loony.

Well that's not necessarily fair, not everyone thinks I'm mad. Ginny doesn't seem to think I'm more then a little eccentric. But then again, most people don't take her particularly seriously either. Ginny certainly didn't endear herself to our year mates with her mooning after Harry Potter or disappearing at odd times during first year. But still all things considered she's a good friend. Speaking of friends I've recently been thinking about gaining another. Yes, I've been thinking about trying to befriend Harry Potter. After all I think he'd fit in well with my little group of friends. He's every bit as much of an outcast as I am after all.

You see I've watched for the last three years as the school and the whole of the Wizarding World constantly flip-flop between abject worship of the Boy-Who-Lived or reviling the so-called Heir of Slytherin. I've listened to the rumors, some as ridiculous and cruel as the ones they say about "Loony Lovegood". I've watched as he and the rest of the Golden Trio have gone on any number of wild adventures. Ginny Weasely and the Creevey Brothers aren't the only ones who watched the famous Harry Potter you know. The whole student body watches him not to mention the score of giggling fangirls or his Slytherin stalkers. I've listened to Ginny go on numerous rants idolizing her savior, really she's quiet obsessed with poor Harry and first year only made it worse.

Oh yes I know all about Harry's adventures. Professor Dumbledore was right about the whole school knowing things they shouldn't, although I doubt most of the student body regularly converses with the school ghosts or the portraits. Then again nobody thinks anything of it when they see dear Loony Lovegood talking to walls. I watched and heard of his heroic work with the Basilisk first year. I remember that the ghosts especially the Bloody Baron, quiet a interesting fellow as long as one doesn't ask uncomfortable or too dimwitted questions, where very interested in the goings on of the Chamber of Secrets. I remember hearing Fawkes' song that night when poor dear Ginny was taken. I was so relieved to see that they where both alive and relatively unharmed after that horrid ordeal. I was also impressed with the way that Harry tricked the awful Mr. Malfoy into freeing his house-elf. He really is quiet clever that boy when he puts his mind to it.

I also remember poor Professor Lupin and that Sirius Black in my second year. I couldn't _believe _some of the horrid things said about the poor Professor after Professor Snape had us do that essay on werewolves. It was ridiculous I've never been so ashamed of some of my Housemates. Fortunately after a while one of the seventh years finally had enough and said that the whiners were acting like Gryffindors or worse _Slytherins_ with all their half-breed monster nonsense. She said that if they had bothered getting all the facts then they would know that Professor Lupin was perfectly harmless except on the nights of the full moon. Besides that he was the best DADA teacher we'd had in years so as long as he continued to teach us what we needed to know who cared what he got up to on the nights of the full moon, it was his business not ours. Gave them all a proper tongue lashing the seventh year did, but then it was no more then some of them deserved with their silly prejudices.

I watched last year as Harry became the fourth Tri-Wizard Champion. I watched as he battled dragons, mer-folk, and the maze. I saw his face when he came back from wherever he had gone with Cedric's body with him. I watched as Professor Moody, there was always something off about him I told Daddy he was being controlled by something, and took him back to the castle. Most of all I watched as Harry braved being an outsider at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry yet again.

I've watched as he became accustomed to the pettiness of the school and the Wizarding World at large. I've watched and wondered if any one sees the shy quiet boy named Harry behind the persona of the Boy-Who-Lived. Perhaps this year I'll get Ginny to introduce me to him. I can tell him about the new article about his godfather, Sirius Black that I helped Daddy make. I wonder if he'll like it, or will he see only the same drivel as the rest of the Wizarding World? No, I think he'll appreciate it, he might even enjoy it.

Yes, it's settled I'll introduce myself to Harry this year. I'll just sit here and read the Quibbler until we get back to Hogwarts. Oh what's this, one of Harry's year mates just walked in. I wonder, but no looks like he doesn't want to sit with Loony Lovegood either. Oh well, it's quieter without all those people crowding the compartment anyway. Hmm, let's see Daddy said if I read the new article on Ancient Runes upside down then I could find a spell to turn people's ears to kumquats.

It looks like luck is smiling on me today, there's Ginny and Harry right now. Harry certainly looks like he could use a friend. He looks troubled and he has circles under his eyes again. This year is certainly going to be a trial, what with the Ministry cracking down on Dumbledore and Voldemort coming back. Looks like the outsiders are going to have to stick together if we all hope to make it through this year in one piece.


End file.
